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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23574076">jupiter doesn't seem so far</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/pompompossum/pseuds/pompompossum'>pompompossum</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Metal Gear</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bittersweet Ending, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Post-Canon, Road Trips, Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:00:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,724</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23574076</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/pompompossum/pseuds/pompompossum</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“We’ve been running for half of our lives. Why don’t we take the chance to see what we missed?”</p>
<p>With the fall of the Patriots, Philanthropy has one final mission. To witness the end of Solid Snake and record his story for future generations. How better to chronicle the end than by reflecting on the past? A road trip across the northern United States, to revisit the haunts the sheltered and raised Philanthropy and to relive the events that made their partnership what it is. The story of Solid Snake is nothing if not cyclical after all.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Otacon/Solid Snake</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>jupiter doesn't seem so far</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I've been meaning to replay Sons of Liberty and as I was thinking about it, I started thinking about the relationship Hal and Dave maintain following the end of Guns of the Patriots. Long story short I sent my friends a bunch of cute and angsty headcanons and decided to incorporate them into a fic. It's been a long time since I've sat down and played through any game in the franchise so characters may come off as ooc. Sorry in advance</p>
<p>Chapter title is taken from Snake and Hal's after-credits scene in MGS4</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been $400 and reeked of menthols, stray tuffs of dog hair clinging to the sides of the seats. The registration was up to date and the plates confirmed it hadn’t been stolen, but the glint in the eyes of the shifty teen who had sold it to him that afternoon brought back memories of the Afghan sun and business attire paired with military fatigues. It had been perfect for what they needed. They packed light and travelled lighter, fully anticipating pit stops to donation bins and curb stop garbage cans along the way. A small suitcase each, mismatched like everything else carried over from their previous travels. Found at a yard sale in a town they forgot the name of. They had served them well. </p>
<p>Staring in through the windows, he couldn’t help but notice the lack of a booster seat. Not that they had much need for one in the past. Sunny, despite her calm nature, had hated the boosters from the moment she saw them. Seats were plentiful on the Nomad, with no need to consider the rules of the road from 38,000ft. The transition to the ground was difficult for them all, but seeing the empty truck cab left a tender ache in his chest. He had agreed to gather their belongings and gas up. Hal was dropping Sunny off with Rose and Jack. John wasn’t much older than her and she felt almost as safe in the cyborg’s presence as she was in theirs. It was a vacation for all of them, a chance for new experiences. A chance for rediscovery. Once he was done loading up, he’d follow to say his goodbyes.</p>
<p>The old truck was reliable but it seemed to have a temper. She ran with a grumbling rattle, engine protesting whenever he dared change his speed too suddenly. The side mirror on the driver’s side was crooked, chrome warped and rusting. He found himself fiddling with it at red lights to keep it in place. September had brought with it an early cold front. As he climbed into the driver’s seat, David found himself thankful for the thick puffer jacket he wore. Patterned in worn, red plaid, it had been one of a few thrifted finds they had never gotten around to giving away. His hair had faded, his joints ached in the morning, and his voice never quite rebounded from that sickly rasp, but the jacket still fit like the day he found it. </p>
<p>The drive up had been a quiet affair, the tinny AM radio whining with the sounds of local talk radio, discussions of local politics from a county Dave had never heard of filling the cab. The homeowners’ association was cracking down on early Halloween decorations. He wasn’t sure if they’d be back by October, where he would even <em> be </em>come October. Sunny wanted to be an astronaut this year. Hal had ordered a costume to be sent to Jack’s address one night after tucking her into bed. </p>
<p>Before he knew it, the small red-brick house came into view. It was the picture of Americana, far from the log cabin they owned, tucked away amongst the birch. He could picture a golden lab running laps in the fenced-off yard, sneaking circles around the legs of its owners for affection. Maybe he should suggest getting a dog to Jack. He seemed like he’d be good with animals and it would be good for John. Before he could consider the option further, a head of snowy-white popped out from behind the front door.</p>
<p>“Uncle Hal! Snake’s here,” a familiar voice sung out into the house before the door swung open, Sunny bursting out to race to the truck, her oversized boots flopping as she ran. She skidded to a stop as David stepped out of the truck, reaching down to smooth out a wild strand of downy hair. Tiny hands attempted to swat him away.</p>
<p>“Snake!” she whined half-heartedly, trailing off into a giggle as she patted down her own head.  Twisting around him to peek into the truck, she took inventory of their luggage before frowning. “How can you and Uncle Hal go on a vacation if you only have that much?” Before he could answer, another voice chimed in from the doorway, trailing up the path to the driveway.</p>
<p>“O.S.P. protocol. We’ve gotten him out of the sneaking suit, but he’s an old man now, Sunny. They tend to be stuck in their ways,” a shit-eating grin stretched across Jack’s face as he held out his hand. “All ready for your next mission, Snake?” The older man let out a quiet groan, a grin threatening to start at the corner of his lip, betraying the unimpressed look on his face. He let his hand rest on the younger’s shoulder, his smile small but earnest as he took in the sight of the cyborg, limbs wrapped in cashmere and denim. He looked happy. He looked like a young man, far removed from the soldier Dave met in New York, or the broken body lying cold on the Nomad. </p>
<p>“Thanks for doing this, kid. ‘Know we kinda sprung this on you out of nowhere,” </p>
<p>If there was one word that described life for the past 9 years, it was cyclical. A trend of discovery, loss, and triumph. And now that the circle had been broken, they had both been struggling to understand what the next step would be. They had settled on the back porch one evening, a small fire crackling in front of them when Hal had suggested it. </p>
<p>
  <em> “We’ve been running for half of our lives. Why don’t we take the chance to see what we missed?” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> “By following our tracks across the entire country?” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> “By going back to where we were and seeing it for what it is. Y’know, without having to dye our hair and change our I.D.s every month.” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> “You’re never going to let me live down the blond, are you?” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Hal had let out a loose and quiet chuckle, mindful of the open bedroom window.  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> “Not a chance.” </em>
</p>
<p>They had both turned their attention back to the house as Sunny had gone to retrieve the rest of the occupants. The cyborg watched her stomp up the stairs, her boots clamoring against the brick, smile unwavering.</p>
<p>“You’ve been a busy man for far too long, Snake. You both deserve a break,” he shook his head, “I’m no genius but I know Hal’s got Sunny’s schoolwork prepared for the next few months and John’s been waiting all week to show her around. Not to mention Rose wanting to meet her for years now.”</p>
<p>“She’s going to be spoiled rotten, isn’t she?”</p>
<p>“Only exactly what she deserves. The adults aren’t the only ones allowed to have a fun time, right,” the smile slipped away as Raiden turned to him again, his gaze determined and bright, “Don’t worry, Snake. She’ll be safe and sound.”</p>
<p>The distinctive clunk of steel-toed boots began to get closer as both men watched Sunny return, bright as her namesake as she chirped to the man she pulled through the entranceway. </p>
<p>“C’mon, Uncle Hal! You don’t want to be late for your vacation, d-do you?” She barely slowed down as the elder grabbed his shoes, rushing to haul them on as he was tugged over the threshold. </p>
<p>“You want us out of your hair that bad?” Dave joked, watching her fondly as she barrelled down the driveway. She puffed her cheeks out, the fierceness of her look dampened by the baby fat filling out her face. He’s used an aerosol can and a lighter to kill a man, destroyed a multi-billion dollar war machine with hand grenades, taken down a tyrannical global system after being fried like an egg, but there was no doubt that leaving behind that pouty face would be one of his most difficult missions yet. </p>
<p>“I’ll be fine, Snake! Aunt Rose is even letting me help with dinner tonight!” Memories of a smoking frying pan and blaring fire alarm were enough to call the whole trip into question, but he was drawn back into the conversation as Hal knelt down to look the young girl in the eyes.</p>
<p>“If you need to get a hold of us you have the numbers for our burners and our codec frequencies,” The engineer reassured the girl, though he appeared to be one less willing to let go. “We’ll call you every night before bed and I promise we’ll be back soon.” Dave ruffled her hair before cupping her cheek, a wily grin peeking out from under a bushy moustache.</p>
<p>“Be good and don’t light the house on fire. It’s hard to find a good babysitter.” The fellow adults attempted to stifle their laughter as a stunned look flashed across Sunny’s face. As the look of shock changed to a beaming grin, Dave bent down to wrap her in a tight hug. “We’ll see you soon, okay?” </p>
<p>Rising to his feet, Dave watched as Hal pulled her close and smoothed down her flyaway hair before following him back to the truck. Taking in the rusting hubcaps and chipped windshield, Hal huffed an amused breath, shaking his head.</p>
<p>“Just like the old days, huh. Ready to go?” </p>
<p>With a honk of the worn-out horn and a wave as pulled out of the driveway, they set off. The talk show had ended as the radio jockey announced programming for the next hour. Soon, the thick New England accent was replaced with the sounds of a tranquil flute and trumpets. As the vocals kicked in, Hal let out a soft sigh, leaning back against the shabby headrest.</p>
<p>“You know, this was my mom’s favourite song.” He sounded wistful, as if caught in a memory.</p>
<p>“Really.” The Emmerich family was <em> not </em>one for good memories.</p>
<p>“Said it reminded her of an old friend, made her hopeful. She used to play it in her workshop.” Dave watched out of the corner of his eye as the engineer relaxed in his seat, cheek resting in his palm as he gazed out the window. Neither said a word as he turned the dial, letting the music float through the cab. This was going to be a trip of memories, after all. Might as well enjoy every bit they can.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The truck Hal and Dave bought for their trip is a 1990 Dodge Ram. Not too old to be spotted as a vintage car while still relatively cheap and reliable. I have a feeling that, even after the events of MGS4, they would continue the habits they held while traveling in the early days of Philanthropy.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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